HONG KONG 1903 onwards

Return To Catalogue - Queen Victoria issues

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the cd's;
contact me if you want to purchase them: evert@klaseboer.com.

1903 King Edward

  1 c brown and lilac
  1 c brown
  2 c green (2 shades on one stamp)
  2 c green
  4 c lilac on red
  4 c red
  5 c orange and green
  6 c violet and red
  8 c violet and black
  10 c blue and lilac on blue
  10 c blue
  12 c lilac and green on yellow
  20 c brown and black
  20 c green and lilac
  30 c black and green
  30 c orange and lilac
  50 c lilac and green
  50 c black on green
  1 $ green and lilac
  2 $ red and black
  2 $ black and red
  3 $ blue and black
  5 $ green and lilac
  10 $ orange and black on blue

For the specialist; these stamps have watermark 'CA Crown' or 'Multiple CA Crown' (1904). They are all perforated 14.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

A postal forgery exists of the 20 c value (see 'Postal forgeries of the world' by H.G.L.Fletcher).

The higher values are often used fiscally, they are worth much less than postally used ones, example:

(Fiscal cancel on a 2 $ red and black stamp)

Be careful, forged cancels exist on stamps with 'cleaned' fiscal cancels, example:

Forged cancel, the fiscal cancel can still vaguely be seen

Fiscal overprint ("DP"; Daily Press, a firm security chop, if my information is correct the 1 c brown and lilac and 4 c lilac on red also exist with similar overprint):

Other, similar security chops exist for other firms.

Stamps used in China, examples: Foochow and Hoihow:

Special cancel ("I.P.O."):

The cancel "I.P.O." (Imperial Post Office) was used by the Chinese Post, many varieties of size exist (34 types). China only joined the UPU in 1914; instead it signed seperate conventions with various countries before that date. These required mail leaving China to be paid partly by Chinese stamps and partly by those of the country to which the mail was going. Because the foreign stamp could not be cancelled at the office where it had been mailed, it could be stolen and replaced by a stamp of lower denomination en route. To prevent this, the mailing office applied a small handstamp, consisting of the letters "IPO", usually boxed, in a way that it fell on both stamp and cover, so that the stamp is "tied" to the cover. This handstamp can be found on Hong Kong stamps between 1899 and 1905. (Information derived from the website http://www.island.net/~rjbw/Stamps1.html of Robert J.B. Wilson.)

1912 King George V

  1 c brown
  2 c green
  2 c grey
  3 c grey
  4 c red
  5 c lilac
  6 c orange
  8 c grey
  8 c orange
  10 c blue
  12 c lilac on yellow
  20 c green and lilac
  25 c lilac
  30 c orange and lilac
  50 c black and grey
  1 $ blue and lilac on blue
  2 $ brown and red
  3 $ lilac and green
  5 $ red and green on green
  10 $ black and lilac on red

For the specialist; these stamps were first issued with watermark 'CA Multiple Crown', later with 'Multiple Script CA Crown' (1921). They are all perforated 14.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1935 Silver Jubilee of King George V, inscription "1910-1935"

  3 c black and blue
  5 c grey and green
  10 c blue and brown
  20 c lilac and grey

For stamps in the same design, but for other British colonies, click here

1937 Inscription "12th MAY 1937" portrait of King and Queen

For stamps in the same design, but for another British colony, click here

The values 4 c green, 15 c red and 25 c blue were issued (design identical to that of many other British colonies).

1938 King George VI

The initial design with Queen Victoria was repeated in 1938 with the head of King George VI and later Queen Elizabeth (1954).

(King George VI issue, 1938)

  1 c brown
  2 c grey
  4 c orange
  5 c green
  8 c brown
  10 c lilac
  15 c red
  20 c black
  20 c red
  25 c blue
  25 c olive
  30 c olive
  30 c blue
  50 c lilac
  80 c red
  1 $ lilac and blue
  1 $ orange and green
  2 $ orange and green
  2 $ lilac and red
  5 $ lilac and red
  5 $ green and lilac
  10 $ green and lilac
  10 $ lilac and blue 

1941 Commemoration 1841-1941

2 c brown and orange (street scene), 4 c red and lilac (liner & junk), 5 c green and black (the university), 15 c red and black (the harbour), 25 c blue and brown (the Hong Kong bank), 1 $ brown and blue (China clipper & seaplane).

1946 Victory issue

  30 c blue and red
  1 $ black and red

1948 Royal Silver wedding, identical to sets issued in many other British colonies, inscription "1923-1948", image of King and Queen

10 c violet, 10 $ red.

1949 UPU issue (design similar to many other British colonies)

For stamps in a similar design, but for another British colony, click here

  10 c violet
  20 c red
  30 c blue
  80 c lilac 

1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth, inscription "CORONATION JUNE 1953", design identical to many other British colonies

For stamps in a similar design, but for other British colonies, click here

  10 c violet and black 

1954 As 1938 issue, but with portrait of Queen Elizabeth II

(Queen Elizabeth issue, 10 c)

  5 c orange
  10 c lilac
  15 c green
  20 c brown
  25 c red
  30 c grey
  40 c blue
  50 c lilac
  65 c grey
  1 $ orange and green
  1.30 $ blue and red
  2 $ lilac and red
  5 $ green and lilac
  10 $ lilac and blue 

Postal forgery of the 50 c value.

1961 Commemorative stamp Hong Kong University

1 $ multicoloured.

1962 Queen Elizabeth II, new design

Small sized stamps: 
  5 c orange
  10 c violet
  15 c green
  20 c brown
  25 c red
  30 c blue
  40 c green
  50 c red
  65 c blue
  1 $ brown

Large sized stamps (multicoloured): 1.30 $, 2 $, 5 $, 10 $, 20 $. 

1962 Postage stamp centenary

10 c lilac and black, 20 c blue and black, 50 c olive and black.

1963 Freedom from hunger, design identical to many other British colonies

  1.30 $ green

For more stamps in a similar design, but for other British colonies, click here.

1963 Red Cross issue

For stamps in a similar design, but for another British colony, click here

  10 c black and red
  30 c blue and red

1973 Queen Elizabeth issue 30 c blue and 2 $ (larger size); 17 values were issued.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer